Printers, copying machines, and facsimile apparatuses which use electrophotography are indispensable apparatuses in business. These electrophotography apparatuses require expendables such as toner and the like. If such expendables are used up and cannot be immediately replenished, these apparatuses can no longer be used. In order to avoid such situation, each office maintains and manages an appropriate stock of expendables. Recently, a department called Information Manager of System (IMS) that maintains and manages an appropriate stock of expendables for the entire business establishment is present.
Some electrophotography apparatuses receive toner via a cartridge called a toner cartridge. A toner cartridge corresponding to the model of each apparatus must be mounted on it, and printers of different models normally require different toner cartridges. Hence, in offices or business establishments using many kinds of apparatuses, a large number of types of toner cartridges must be stocked, maintained, and managed. Note that not only toner cartridges but also all business supplies consumed in offices or business establishments require maintenance and management of appropriate stock. In the following description, articles such as toner cartridges are also called “business expendables”. The “business expendables” include toners for copying machines, photosensitive drums, inks for ink-jet printers, other service parts, paper sheets, OHP sheets, and the like in addition to toner cartridges.
The following demands have been arisen for the sales form and stock management of business expendables with such characteristics.
[Sales Form]
As the Internet is widespread, the use of the Internet is demanded upon selling and ordering business expendables. Systems which sell articles using the Internet already exist. However, some systems do not immediately reply as to the delivery date, or customers are often not satisfied with the term required until an ordered article is delivered.
[Stock Management]
In conventional stock management, upon receiving an order from a customer via the Internet, e-mail message, phone, or the like, a stock is reserved for the order, and reserve information is managed using a stock database in association with information such as the profile of the customer, order quantity, article type, delivery date, and the like. The stock data base is looked up by an information processing apparatus to check the stock quantity or the like every time a new order is received.
In such stock management that reserves a stock for each received order, and manages the stock quantity using the stock database, upon receiving an order that requires a quantity which exceeds a non-reserved stock quantity managed by the stock database, a stock cannot be reserved. However, since some of the already reserved stocks require urgent delivery but some other do not, stock management including a stock reserve process in consideration of the urgency of delivery is demanded.
On the other hand, orders that require urgent delivery may be frequently placed for toner cartridges which are typical business expendables, and store toners used in copying machines, printers, and the like, since copying machines and printers can no longer be used if toner is used up. If articles cannot be provided for orders that require urgent delivery due to out of stock, non-operating times of the copying machines and printers are prolonged, resulting in poor business efficiency on the side of customers.